RAS LSS Consulting’s Post

Sanofi to discontinue in 2026 the dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, due to low global demand. This is the only FDA approved vaccine for dengue and is recommended for children 9-16 with laboratory-confirmed previous dengue virus infection and living in areas where dengue is endemic. During a surge of dengue cases worldwide, this could have a devastating impact to dengue response. Of course, this raises the question as to why global demand is low for dengue vaccine. #globalhealth #publichealth #onehealth #microbiology #microbes #infectiousdiseases #dengue #vaccine

*TB Vaccine*: Bharat Biotech, has started clinical trials of MTBVAC, the world's first Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccine derived from a human source, in India.MTBVAC is a live attenuated vaccine which is being developed as a more effective and potentially longer-lasting vaccine than BCG vaccine, that is over 100 years old. It will be for newborns, as well as for the prevention of TB in adults and adolescents for whom there is currently no effective vaccine. The existing BCG vaccine is an attenuated variant of the bovine TB pathogen and has limited effect on pulmonary TB, which is responsible for the disease transmission. In India 28% of the world's TB cases accumulate. MTBVAC is currently the only TB vaccine undergoing clinical trials based on a genetically modified form of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that, unlike BCG, contains all the antigens present in strains that infect humans.(Courtesy TOI) #mtbvac #mycobaterium #tuberculosis #vaccine #bcg #bovinetb #pulmonarytb #bharatbiotech #tbvaccine #liveattenuatedvaccine #clinicaltrials #antigens #NCDC #ministryofhealthandfamilywelfare

As part of International Vaccine Institute (IVI)’s strategy and Director-General Jerome Kim’s vision, for #capacitybuilding and #collaboration in Africa, we have partnered with Afrigen Biologics (Pty) Ltd and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) to advance the development of the much-needed Rift Valley Fever vaccine. IVI will support the vaccine development and will lead the conduct of human clinical trial. This has been an important milestone in our engagement with African manufacturers and a good beginning for our new offices in Rwanda with Nicaise Ndembi and Kenya. We are looking forward to work with Petro Terblanche, Rajen Naidoo, Helba Bredell, Eden Padayachee Ph.D, Caryn Fenner!! We are thankful to our CEPI colleagues, Peter Hart, Marta Campos, and Osmond M.

📣 South Africa’s Afrigen to develop human mRNA Rift Valley fever vaccine   CEPI is providing $6.2 million to researchers at Afrigen Biologics (Pty) Ltd who will work with International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to progress a Rift Valley fever vaccine candidate through preclinical development and into Phase I clinical testing in people in either South Africa or another outbreak-affected country on the continent.   If successful, it could offer a critical new and locally produced tool to help combat the potentially deadly illness affecting countries across Africa and the Middle East and posing significant risks to human health as well as livestock.   South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Mr Parks Tau described the collaboration as “central to our commitment to develop and sustain local manufacturing capacity and capabilities on the African continent.”   Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s Minister of Health, highlighted that the partnership “demonstrates again the country's commitment to building capabilities and capacity for pandemic response and preparedness”.   Afrigen is committed to the potential development of investigational stockpiles for use in outbreaks, an affordable pricing mechanism for the vaccine, and endeavouring to manufacture the vaccine close to where outbreaks may occur.   “A safe and effective Rift Valley fever mRNA vaccine made in Africa, for Africa, raises the bar in our response to future Rift Valley fever outbreaks, and paves the way to make rapid response mRNA vaccines against similar viruses that could emerge on the continent or in other low- and middle-income countries” added CEPI’s CEO Dr Richard Hatchett.

We are proud to partner with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) and Afrigen Biologics (Pty) Ltd to develop the first-ever mRNA-based vaccine for Rift Valley fever. This mosquito-borne disease poses a significant threat to people across Africa and the Middle East, yet no licensed human vaccine currently exists.   With CEPI’s $6.2 million grant, this collaboration strengthens Africa’s health security and outbreak preparedness while advancing equity in vaccine innovation.   IVI’s Director General Dr. Jerome Kim said, “IVI is committed to working with partners to develop a sustainable end-to-end vaccine ecosystem in Africa... Through the support and partnership of CEPI and Afrigen, we will accelerate a new Rift Valley fever vaccine candidate... to protect the most affected regions and people from this deadly, though preventable, disease.”

Sustainability is the priority for vaccine manufacturers that are part of the mRNA technology transfer programme established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Dengue, H5N1, malaria, cholera and Rift Valley fever (RVF) are some of the vaccines under research and development (R&D). Meanwhile, South Africa is putting much of its focus on trying to develop an mRNA vaccine for tuberculosis, the world’s biggest infectious disease. https://lnkd.in/eJFsrex8

In the face of climate change and rapid urbanization, the spread of dengue intensifies, posing a grave threat to vulnerable populations. Innovative solutions such as vaccines are not just desirable but essential. It's welcome news that Qdenga, Takeda's dengue vaccine, has earned WHO prequalification, joining Sanofi Pasteur's CYD-TDV. WHO recommends Qdenga for children aged 6–16 years in high-burden areas. With over 100-400 million cases of dengue worldwide each year, this highlights the critical need for more vaccine developers to step up and join the fight against this pressing global health challenge.

In this #Review, authors provide an overview of the #malaria problem and the #Plasmodium parasite, then describe the #RTS,S and #R21 #vaccines (the first vaccines for any human parasitic disease), summarizing their benefits and limitations. https://lnkd.in/guddwKYk

If you want to understand the importance of risk-benefit analysis in policy decision making, this well-written article by The New York Times describes the journey of the first malaria vaccine, which received regulatory approval in 2015 but only reaching the vaccination programs in Africa in 2024. It shows the complexity of access to medicine and economics of pharmaceutical supply chain and how timely actions at all the points can save lives. Stories like this also reinforce the urgent need for local production of vaccines and critical medicines. Making these life-saving tools locally available should be an immediate goal to ensure that delays do not continue to cost lives in vulnerable communities. I continue to think about the #Tuberculosis and its massive impact on the lives and livelihood of millions of people in countries like India https://lnkd.in/eZfwkG5N This is why at US Pharmacopeia we prioritise time and resources to expanding manufacturing capacity globally - https://lnkd.in/eiAuhvxQ #GlobalHealth #RiskBenefitAnalysis #PolicyDecisions #LocalProduction #Vaccines #HealthEquity

I'm excited to share my latest publication in Wiley 'Small': "A Modular Self-Assembling and Self-Adjuvanting Multiepitope Peptide Nanoparticle Vaccine Platform to Improve the Efficacy and Immunogenicity of BCG." In this study, we developed a novel peptide-based self-assembling and self-adjuvanting vaccine platform. The protection efficacy of the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been significantly increased when boosted by TB vaccine constructed under our platform. Our findings suggest that this approach could significantly improve immunogenicity and provide a more robust defence against tuberculosis. For those interested in vaccine development and infectious disease research, I invite you to read the full article below. #VaccineDevelopment #InfectiousDiseases #NanoparticleVaccine #TuberculosisResearch #ScientificPublication #BCG